We need a pep talk. Sports performance expert Jason Brader delivers one in this Q&A

We need a kickstart now, and who better to deliver it than Jason Brader?

Brader, a Liberty High and Muhlenberg College graduate, is a high-octane athletic trainer, inventor, podcaster and writer who revels in your success. The founder of FASST Performance, the former Lehigh Valley sports-performance business, Brader sold it to pursue a career in football coaching. After stops at Alabama and Louisiana Tech, he became the director of sports performance last year at Albright College.

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Brader has a hard-knocks story, which he detailed in the book “Why Not Me,” an ode to motivation and perseverance. The book’s message resonates now in particular, so we asked Brader to deliver a pep talk to athletes and non-athletes alike.

Read this — after your morning run.

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Q: What prompted you to write “Why Not Me?” and what message do you want people to connect from it?

Brader: I always thought I had a great story to tell and I decided that it was time to tell it. I had overcome the loss of my mother and father when I was a teenager to become the first person in my family to go to college. While at Muhlenberg College, I excelled on the football field, where I became an All-American running back and later was inducted into their athletic hall of fame.

Upon graduation, I taught psychology and sports psychology for eight years at Phillipsburg High School and created FASST Performance. I owned FASST Performance for 18 years and decided that it was time to pursue my ultimate goal of becoming a collegiate strength and conditioning coach.

On the outside, I appeared to have a pretty successful life. However, those closest to me knew I was struggling for years with an alcohol and gambling addiction. In 2017, I decided enough was enough and I was going to take aggressive action and straighten out my life. In my book I share my life story from A-Z on how I was able to overcome losing my parents, build a successful business and overcome addiction while pursuing my goal of becoming a collegiate strength and conditioning coach. I share some stories of my darkest hours and how I was able to push through and come out on the other side.

I wanted to impress on others that you are never out of the game regardless of how far you may have fallen. Regardless of your age, ability levels or experience, you can always reach your goals when you are willing to take a chance. If you take the necessary steps, anything is possible with hard work and a relentless, unshakable mindset. The book is meant for anyone who is looking to improve their situation, whether you are an athlete looking to reach the highest level or someone who is at a crossroads in their life. My story will not only inspire you but also help you create a road map that will enable you to reach your full potential.

Q: How can young athletes get better when schools are closed and sports are shut down?

Brader: This is a time that people can sit back and feel sorry for themselves or a time when they can take advantage of the opportunities presented. We live in the age of technology, and if you have a computer, you can improve. It comes down to discipline. I would break up the day into segments. The three segments are movement, reflection and learning.

As soon as they wake up they should get moving. Regardless of what you do, get moving. Go for a walk, run, or do some basic calisthenics to get the heart rate up and break a sweat. Once you break a sweat for at least 20 minutes, it’s time to reflect. Remember that this is going to be a blip on the radar.

Most athletes have been working out for months or were in the midst of the playoffs. It took a ton of hard work to get to this point, so it will take even more effort to continue to climb while being away from the gym. I personally continue doing the things that I did before the quarantine. I enjoy running, so I run on the treadmill. We have had some great weather so I’ve been running at the park, too.

Our bodies are built for movement and are the only tools we need for training. My kids play basketball, so I have them do bodyweight exercises like pushups, pullups, squat jumps and lunges. You can use objects in the house as resistance to help maintain and build strength. The quarantine adds a little novelty to what most people have been doing. It’s easy to get stale and bored. This will add a good change to what they’ve already been doing and provide a new challenge. To make it fun, I have them do dribbling drills between exercises. If you have a backyard, you can set up agility courses. The key is being creative and using your imagination.

Once you are finished with the movement, it’s time to reflect. Think about areas your coach told you to improve and research how you can do it. I stress to my athletes that they should create a hit list of areas that they can target. This is an opportunity for self improvement, and you can really get a competitive advantage. It is totally up to the person to take their improvement upon themselves.

The last part is learning. I record my kids’ games and enjoy making highlights for them. This is a great time to do some family bonding and watch some of their old games. You can break down plays and think about things you can do the next time those situations occur. The mental game is critical for high level performance and you can review your own clips or search for educational tutorials online that can help you improve your Xs and Os.

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Q. What kind of creative workouts are you recommending for athletes?

Brader: I personally enjoy novelty. I’ve been working with athletes for over 20 years and the weight room can get pretty boring. I like getting outdoors if the weather permits. The first step is to get moving, so I suggest doing a basic dynamic warm-up that progresses from simple to complex drills. Start the drills with easy movement patterns that become more complex as you get warmed up.

Once warmed up, depending on whether or not you have equipment, you can set up cone drills that mimic movements you will encounter in your sport. If you don’t have cones, you can use everyday items found in your house as cones. Body-weight circuits are the easiest to do, because you don’t need equipment. You can set goals for reps you need to reach within a certain time interval or do as many as you can within a specific time.

If you have playing cards, you can have a little competition with your family. Take turns flipping a card and doing as many reps as the card indicates. Do this until you get to the end of the deck.

Q: What about the mental and social aspects of sports? How should athletes handle the distancing component, especially from teammates? How can they still team-build?

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Brader: With today’s technology, you are able to do things we couldn’t do in the past. You can set up team meetings through the various platforms available. You can FaceTime, do group texts, and Instagram live with teammates. I have posted workouts on my Instagram and Twitter accounts for my athletes to access. I know that my friends who coach football can still have positional meetings through Skype.

I have set up a 4-minute, 100-pushup challenge with my athletes. I tag the different teams, coaching colleagues, and athletes and encourage them to video themselves doing pushups. They then tag me along with other teammates and friends. The goal is to hold our athletes accountable and to encourage them to stay active while they are away.

Q: What are 3-4 good exercises we all should be doing, not just athletes, now?

Brader: The first thing every athlete should do is run. I don’t care if it’s a light jog or sprint. They need to get their heart rates up and break a sweat. This will serve as a warm-up and should be done for at least 15-20 minutes.

If you don’t have a treadmill or can’t get outside, jump some rope. I would do short jump-rope circuits depending on fitness levels. You can start of with 20-30 seconds on and take a 10-20 second break between sets. You can pair up your jumps with a body weight exercise. For example, you can do double foot hops with body weight squats. Single-leg hops with lunges. Alternating hips with lateral lunges or pushups.

If you have a medicine ball you can do medicine-ball squats, pushups, overhead presses, lunges, ball slams and jumps. The only thing that will limit you is your imagination.

Q: You’re a positive person. Tell us something that will make us feel better.

Brader: This too shall pass. It’s easy to get caught up in the what if’s associated with fear. We fear the unknown, and right now we don’t know how this is going to impact us going down the road. All we can do is focus on now. Be where your feet are.

This is a great opportunity to spend time with family, focus on health, catch up on things we need to do around the house, start a new hobby, reconnect with old friends via FaceTime, Instagram or Facebook. This is a great opportunity to simplify life and get back to our roots. Challenge yourself and get back to the basics. Live a minimalist lifestyle and challenge yourself. Set a goal and achieve it.

Start a 14-day weight loss regime. The grocery store doesn’t have your favorite snack? Good. Replace it with a healthy alternative. You can’t eat at your favorite restaurant? Good. Cook a healthy meal and eat with your family. The convenience store is all out of cigarettes? Good. This is a great time to quit. Can’t go on your trip to the Caribbean? Good. You can take the vacation money and invest in a stock that is down.

Remember that when you are down, the next step is up. As long as you have your health, family and an unshakable attitude, you will always find a way to get back to the top.